USARacing Pro Cup Series: Bristol Motor Speedway Advance
Good Morning, Attached above and below you will find the USARacing Pro Cup Series advance for the American Freedom Spectacular 200 Saturday, September 11, at Bristol Motor Speedway. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. Sincerely, Amanda Earle aearle@usarprocup.com 704.788.7979 ext.5 *HEADING TO BRISTOL ALL BETS ARE OFF FOR CHAMPIONSHIP* * * *FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE* * * CONCORD, N.C. (September 4, 2010)- As the USARacing Pro Cup Series heads to Bristol Motor Speedway for the American Freedom Spectacular, Saturday, September 11, for the second Championship race all bets are off as two drivers are tied for first place. For the first time since August 2008, the USAR Pro Cup Series drivers took to the .533-mile high-banked oval on August 31 for an open test. Reigning Bristol winner, Caleb Holman and reigning Series Champion, Clay Rogers were both in attendance for last Monday’s test session where both hoped gain ground on their Championship dreams. Clay Rogers, who is currently tied for first place with Caleb Holman, won all but three of the regular USARacing 2010 Season races. Rogers, of Mooresville N.C., won at Bristol in 2005 but he knows the track has challenges. “This car on the racetrack with the banking here, we’re not use to having this at most places we go to,” said Rogers. Caleb Holman, who is currently tied for first place with Rogers, finished second in the Championship opener at Concord Speedway. At Langley Speedway, Holman, of Abingdon, Va., claimed his third win of the regular season. Holman was the only driver to upset Rogers’ sweep of the regular 2010 USARacing Pro Cup Series season. He is the current defending race winner (August 2008) at Bristol Motor Speedway. J.P. Morgan finished strong at Concord Speedway, scoring his third top 5 of the season and moving into third, just behind Rogers and Holman. Morgan, of Ether, N.C., agrees with Rogers that Bristol Motor Speedway presents unique challenges for the USARacing Pro Cup Series drivers. “This race track carries a lot more speed then any other race track we go to,” said Morgan. “You can’t see where you’re going when your going into the corners, your just listening to your spotters and hoping that they’re not going to say someone spun out." Sitting fourth in the Championship standings, Jeff Agnew heads to Bristol Motor Speedway coming off his first win since 2008 at Concord Speedway. Agnew, of Floyd, Va., battled point leaders, Rogers and Holman throughout the 250-lap feature, before taking the lead on Lap 204. On September 11, Agnew will make his sixth start at the “World’s Fastest Half-Mile”. The driver of the No. 73 Team 7 Motorsports Ford looks to better his second-place finish, which he logged in August 2005. John Gibson, rounds out the top five in Championship points. Gibson, of Springfield, Mo., finished sixth at Concord Speedway. He has one start at Bristol Motor Speedway in August 2008, finishing ninth. Logan Ruffin, leader of Raybestos Rookie of the Year points, is making his debut at Bristol Motor Speedway in a Pro Cup car. Ruffin, of Memphis, Tenn., started once before at the track in an American Speed Association (ASA) car. “I’ve been here once before in an ASA car so I’m just having to relearn the race track a little bit and I’m having a ball doing it,” said Ruffin. At Concord Speedway, Ruffin finished 12th after a late race mechanical problem. The finish put him right outside of the top 5 in sixth in Championship points but he still leads 157 points in the Rookie standings. Chase Elliott and Stephan Nasse will make their first starts at Bristol Motor Speedway on September 11. Elliott, of Dawsonville, Ga. and Nasse, of Pinellas Park, Fla., have only logged laps during the open test at the speedway. Both drivers agreed they learned a lot during the test. “I’ve never been to Bristol and so far I’ve had a great experience here. You can look at the track and see the line everyone’s run,” said Nasse. The American Freedom Spectacular on September 11, 2010 marks the return of the USARacing Pro Cup Series to Bristol Motor Speedway after a two-year break. Before the Pro Cup cars hit the track the Frank Kimmel Street Stock series will race at 3:15 p.m. The green flag is scheduled to drop at 5:30 p.m. for the 200-lap Pro Cup race. The USAR Pro Cup Series, formerly Hooters Pro Cup, is owned by Interstate Investment Group (IIG) and is based in Concord, N.C. For more information on USARacing, visit www.usarprocup.com. -30- For More Information Contact: Amanda Earle 704.788.7979 ext. 5 E-mail: aearle@usarprocup.com 78 Buffalo Avenue, Suite 200, Concord, NC 28025. Phone: 704-788-7979 Fax: 704-782-5477 www.USARProCup.com